Oil-shales of the United States and methods of testing

Acquaintanceship with the oil-shales of the United States is only just "being formed". Their possibilities as future producers of a substitute for petroleum will depend obviously on future demands for the products that can be synthetically made from the very complex organic material of the oil-shales. It is necessary that products from shale oil be made which closely resemble petroleum products as regards their commercial usefulness. There may be other uses, however, for shale oil products. The subject of oil-shales is of wide interest and much is published by able contributors on the economic, commercial, and technical problems, yet there can be little doubt that the solution of the chemical problems is only just begun.